"classical music" vs "classic music" (2025)

Hi Guys,

I am not sure what's the difference between "classical music" and "classic music", I aware that the classic can be used as an adjective, did I use it correctly in the above example? Similarly, should I say classic method or classical method?

Cheers,

Dean

"Classical music" is the kind of music composed by Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, etc.

"Classic music" is anything that stays in the public consciousness and can be of any genre, including rock, country and western, jazz, e.g. Dave Brubeck's Take Five.

As a side note, not all of our members are "guys" and some female members of this forum take offense at that gratuitous greeting.

Classical tends to refer to something in the very long past, or something modern done in a very old style.

So one might say of a building "It's in a classical roman style".

Classical also tends to mean grand or refined too.

Classic has a nuanced meaning. A "classic car" could either be a car that is relatively old and attracts attention because of its age, or it could be a car that is (or was) the pinnacle of an era, or a piece of technology, or a car that best illustrates a particular driving style.

If one were to say "its a classical car" you would be meaning that the car had all the things typical of a car, almost that the car was a caricature of what a car should be.

As to whether you should use "classical method" or "classic method" I cannot say, it depends on the context.

sdgraham said:

"Classical music" is the kind of music composed by Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, etc.

"Classic music" is anything that stays in the public consciousness and can be of any genre, including rock, country and western, jazz, e.g. Dave Brubeck's Take Five.

As a side note, not all of our members are "guys" and some female members of this forum take offense at that gratuitous greeting.

Click to expand...

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to only greet male and I thought it was okay for all sexes as I heard English people used it before. Please accept my apology.

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I agree with sdg's general definition of classical/classic, with the rider that "classical" music is not necessarily old. There are modern classical music composers ... but although I think I understand the difference classical and other, I hesitate to invent a definition.

I would like to just mention one thing that is also to confusing to some in the Classical, classical, classic debate.

Classical music (big C) refers to an era of music ranging from around 1740 to just after about 1827 (Beethoven's death is widely considered to be the end of the "Classical Era"). Notable composers during this time were Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven.

classical music (little c) refers more to a genre of music that is calming, artistic in nature (in the sense of what we call 'text painting'), and played by orchestral instruments in a formal setting. Composers of classical music are seen in every era of music after the Classical Period.

classic music was well defined by sdgraham - ""Classic music" is anything that stays in the public consciousness and can be of any genre, including rock, country and western, jazz"
This speaks to the semantics of the word itself. Classic music is about timelessness and longevity. The idea of classic music is hard to define only because its definition is objective.